At FB&TV after two weeks into a three week rehearsal period it is inevitable that the final week will be about dynamics,  obstacles and revelations;  with an indeterminable outcome.   The outcome is excellent  …And exceptional.

Ben has been ‘on song’- sometimes literally- this week.  The process is familiar and exciting to him and his performance has developed brilliantly.   He’s found key moments of interaction with Faye/LISA and Margaret/FRAU POPPENDICK and works generously,  takes his space,  connects; always listens-and reacts- moment to moment; Relationships with Johnny/KATSCHER and Bradley/ERICH are complex to play:  at key points KATSCHER tells OSKAR what to do and Ben has worked hard to create movements and impulses related to vehement antipathy.  In his interactions with ERICH there is a similar reluctance but more familiarity- ERICH’S the  angry Boss and  OSKAR the weary cleaner.   The non FB&TV cast have engaged with a process which is not usual.  In many rehearsal rooms props and moments with them involve discussion and dissection; for FB&TV these conversations arrest forward momentum and there have been times this week where the Director has wanted to throttle the writer for the opportunity objects present for ‘realism stasis’.  We inhabit a world where a broom can become a lover and a gun-  for a stethoscope and blood pump pressure pump to be just what they are is a hurdle;  That being said the actors involved have solved the ‘business’ wonderfully and it’s full steam ahead.

The set,  as anticipated,  is taking a bashing,  Johnny stepped onto a chair and ripped its canvas seat and Faye and Bradley are engaged in a plant pot breaking competition in spite of pleas not to do it ‘for real’.   Pies have been sent flying across the floor and Ben complained about finding compost in the bottom of glass he was drinking from.  Opportunities for mess-making- and undesirable audience involvement-  are being slowly removed in spite of the obviously delicious opportunity for venting they afford.  

The run on Thursday confirmed the need for a shift in relationship dynamic between ERICH and LISA.  As characters and relationships have evolved it has been necessary to play against the text and this is not always an easy approach to take.   Notes on Thursday addressed the issues and in the run on Friday adjustments had been made that tuned the piece accordingly.  

We said goodbye to James the Understudy for a while;  he is returning to his training on the ACTOR©scheme course and will step in for Ben should the need arise.  The experience he has picked up in the rehearsal room will no doubt feed into his current scene work project and we all wish him well.

Johnny’s specially made SS uniform arrived for the final run of the week.  The Nazi’s used stage designers to craft their uniforms and this is evident in the impact the costume has.  Decisions were made as to where and when in the activity to wear the full elements of the uniform,  as it carries so much weight in itself that there is a danger of the clothes upstaging the action.  The boots caused difficulty and hilarity during a quick change for Johnny; new and tight they wouldn’t budge in spite of the ministrations of FRAU POPPENDICK and a key climactic entrance was missed.  This quick change will be worked in the technical rehearsal and if the worse comes to the worse we will have to consider making cuts in the shins;  on the boots that is, not Johnny’s legs.

Ben is growing in confidence as we near performance.  A seasoned FB&TV performer,  he can’t wait to get out in front of an audience.   His warm-ups have become a highlight of each day.  Ben has developed a series of games and activities which draw heavily on the imaginative and the actors have become used to becoming aeroplanes and singing opera at a moment’s instruction.  

We received an unexpected gift from FB&TV supporter Murray Forrest this week.  A bag full of authentic medical equipment and period photographs arrived in the office.  These rather gruesome artefacts formed the basis for an improvisation led by Bradley who inducted a selection of new orderly’s to the hospital.  The photo’s were particularly useful and provided a shared visual stimulus for the patients referred to in the text-  thanks for the loan Murray, and for reading this blog-  we’ll take good care of the items.

Kevin the Designer has been battling ‘man-flu’ (his term not mine) to paint the desks on two separate evenings in the bowels of the Lawrence Batley.  As the last set and design elements fall into place it becomes clear that visually this show is going to be a marvel.

On Friday night Alison, the Stage Manager,  and I had a meeting with Keith the Lighting Designer in preparation for next week’s technical rehearsals.   Keith has some amazing plans for the recreation of the frozen surface of the lake.  We had an earlier meeting where an in depth conversation was had with regard to the colour of the ice and therefore the appropriate gels to use and it all looks very promising indeed.

The Huddersfield Examiner printed a large feature about the production on Friday accompanied by a very moody shot of Ben.  The paper has always been a supporter of the companies work and we thank them for this promotion.

On Saturday morning we rehearsed some final glitches.  Faye is an actor who occasionally suffers from fits of the giggles and a week’s hard work added to an inability to move beyond a particular entrance without group hysteria.  Eventually the laughter subsided and we were able to work on some key scenes.  We also rehearsed the curtain call-  earlier than would be usual to allow Ben time to assimilate it- and then adjourned to the barbers where Ben had a ‘40’s style buzz cut and Margaret had her fringe cut.  Bradley was relieved to know that the decision was made that he should have his hair cut-  having been asked to grow it-  and we expect to see him freshly shorn next week.  Ben was fitted for his period style glasses in Vision Express (thanks to the company for donating both Ben and James’s prescription glasses).

Opening week now looms large.  The past three weeks have flown by and we will have a final rehearsal room run on Monday morning before getting in to the theatre in the afternoon.  Tech and dress rehearsals follow and we open on Wednesday.  The mood is high and we are all looking forward to playing to an audience;  which after all is what it’s all about!